Sebenza edge out of the box

[Corytr]

Razzle, i agree with you that it does sound like we are bashing CRK, but I also agree with you that couldn't be farther from the truth. We share a true love of the brand and as with anything in life, unfortunately not everything can be all roses all of the time. This is probably the 1% of the time here where there is a somewhat negative tone with CRK.

With the response from Anne below, I am sure that this will be taken care of and become a non-issue. Thank you CRK for being such a wonderful company, for taking such great care of your customers, and for making the best production knives out there!

 

[kwackster]

Did this 25 for a customer a while ago.
Edge angle on this example was good, but the buyer was very unhappy with the lack of sharpness:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...n-a-Sebenza-25?highlight=sebenza+factory+edge

 

[Razzle]

What sucketh is that of the 4 new CRK's I've purchased in the last two weeks, there is one that in all likelyhood WOULD be my favorite knife of all time....the small Knifeart CF 21.

It's the only one of the four that still has the factory edge, and it's dull as all get out. Just don't want to KILL the resale value of all four knives, in case I fall on hard times, or something.

MOST folks would probably call it a "sharp knife", my wife and a good buddy proclaimed such, when I showed it to 'em. But I can literally run my finger up and down the edge, as I've previously mentioned, and it will NOT cut me.

Eventually, I'll have to break down and sharpen it, as I just love the little guy.

Maybe I'll go back to selling plasma, again, if push comes to shove.

 

[Trident777]

Nobody here including is is saying negative things about the company, it is my absolute favorite grail brand of knives. I literally sold off my busses and spyderco microtechs emersons all the others and now have only sebenzas save a knife or three. And at the end of the day, its not the end of the world and the knives are meant to be used and sharpened as it is a tool that will be maintained. Its not a super steel, its not the lifetime razor edge no matter what you do with it, and god knows i love my sebenzas like no other as i am returning back to CRK from the past 2 months after being out of the country for 2 years and regretting selling the ones I did have. Then realizing the value in their products. Fit, finish, slicing ability, lock up is the absolute best for me in the world and i have owned knives up to $4000 custom museum quality pieces and I have to say it is just perfection. There is nothing else to say. Just that its damned annoying that a new in box from factory edge was not profiled and sharpened properly. I just hope they see this and kick the asses of the 2 guys who are doing the edge sharpening to take a few extra minutes on each knife to make it as sharp as they possibly can because I am sure they know their customers are anal pain in the ass buyers like we all are that expect nothing but the best out the box and are not trying to reprofile or take it to a sharpmaker straight out the box to feel like all is well. So please CRK listen up and make em sharp, lazer sharp please!

 

[Chris Reeve Knives]

To the couple of customers who forwarded links to this thread – thank you. Without feedback and being made aware of these kinds of conversations, we don’t know where customer dissatisfaction lies. We appreciate all the comments in the thread, both positive and negative and, believe me when I say this, we take them all to heart. If there is any inference that we take short cuts or intentionally do less than our best, please know that is completely untrue.

We have never pretended to be perfect – we make mistakes, but we do our level best not to. When a customer finds something they don’t think is correct, we have always asked that the knife be returned to us so we can make good. If a knife is not as sharp as expected, please send it back to us for evaluation. This is true for knives purchased directly from us or from one of our dealers. There is nothing we can do in a discussion that can correct the instances you folks have mentioned. We do take note however and, while the guys who diligently free-hand sharpen knives all day will not “get their asses kicked” as suggested, they have been made aware of this thread. They are concerned and anxious to do their best, and are not happy that there is a perception that they are not doing their best.

I’m not making excuses for anything we may or may not have done, but a cutting edge is a very interesting thing and perceptions of sharpness are varied. For example, we polish the cutting edge of all our knives which sometimes gives the impression that it is not quite as sharp as an edge that is unpolished. If you look at it this way, tiny burrs on the edge will initially cut more aggressively but they will break off and leave the edge rough, which will not cut as efficiently. With those burrs polished off, you can run your nail down the edge and it will not necessarily feel sharp. With a little pressure it will cut, so be cautious!

So in the end, thank you for letting us know your concerns. We have already reviewed procedures to ensure all knives leave our shop hair popping sharp, and if you are not satisfied with the way your CRK knife cuts, be sure to send it back to us.

Anne

 

[JNewell]

Not much to say other than thanks and :thumbup:

To the couple of customers who forwarded links to this thread – thank you. Without feedback and being made aware of these kinds of conversations, we don’t know where customer dissatisfaction lies. We appreciate all the comments in the thread, both positive and negative and, believe me when I say this, we take them all to heart. If there is any inference that we take short cuts or intentionally do less than our best, please know that is completely untrue.

We have never pretended to be perfect – we make mistakes, but we do our level best not to. When a customer finds something they don’t think is correct, we have always asked that the knife be returned to us so we can make good. If a knife is not as sharp as expected, please send it back to us for evaluation. This is true for knives purchased directly from us or from one of our dealers. There is nothing we can do in a discussion that can correct the instances you folks have mentioned. We do take note however and, while the guys who diligently free-hand sharpen knives all day will not “get their asses kicked” as suggested, they have been made aware of this thread. They are concerned and anxious to do their best, and are not happy that there is a perception that they are not doing their best.

I’m not making excuses for anything we may or may not have done, but a cutting edge is a very interesting thing and perceptions of sharpness are varied. For example, we polish the cutting edge of all our knives which sometimes gives the impression that it is not quite as sharp as an edge that is unpolished. If you look at it this way, tiny burrs on the edge will initially cut more aggressively but they will break off and leave the edge rough, which will not cut as efficiently. With those burrs polished off, you can run your nail down the edge and it will not necessarily feel sharp. With a little pressure it will cut, so be cautious!

So in the end, thank you for letting us know your concerns. We have already reviewed procedures to ensure all knives leave our shop hair popping sharp, and if you are not satisfied with the way your CRK knife cuts, be sure to send it back to us.

Anne

 

[Knife Crazy]

To the couple of customers who forwarded links to this thread – thank you. Without feedback and being made aware of these kinds of conversations, we don’t know where customer dissatisfaction lies. We appreciate all the comments in the thread, both positive and negative and, believe me when I say this, we take them all to heart. If there is any inference that we take short cuts or intentionally do less than our best, please know that is completely untrue.

We have never pretended to be perfect – we make mistakes, but we do our level best not to. When a customer finds something they don’t think is correct, we have always asked that the knife be returned to us so we can make good. If a knife is not as sharp as expected, please send it back to us for evaluation. This is true for knives purchased directly from us or from one of our dealers. There is nothing we can do in a discussion that can correct the instances you folks have mentioned. We do take note however and, while the guys who diligently free-hand sharpen knives all day will not “get their asses kicked” as suggested, they have been made aware of this thread. They are concerned and anxious to do their best, and are not happy that there is a perception that they are not doing their best.

I’m not making excuses for anything we may or may not have done, but a cutting edge is a very interesting thing and perceptions of sharpness are varied. For example, we polish the cutting edge of all our knives which sometimes gives the impression that it is not quite as sharp as an edge that is unpolished. If you look at it this way, tiny burrs on the edge will initially cut more aggressively but they will break off and leave the edge rough, which will not cut as efficiently. With those burrs polished off, you can run your nail down the edge and it will not necessarily feel sharp. With a little pressure it will cut, so be cautious!

So in the end, thank you for letting us know your concerns. We have already reviewed procedures to ensure all knives leave our shop hair popping sharp, and if you are not satisfied with the way your CRK knife cuts, be sure to send it back to us.

Anne

Thank you for the response, Anne! The amazing support like that is one of the reasons why I've recently joined the CRK fan club!

 

[353]

So in the end, thank you for letting us know your concerns. We have already reviewed procedures to ensure all knives leave our shop hair popping sharp, and if you are not satisfied with the way your CRK knife cuts, be sure to send it back to us.

Anne

Hi Anne!

The main problem here is not whether the knives leave you sharp, I believe they do, but that they leave the factory with a bevel greater than 40° inclusive, specially from belly to tip. Then people get difficulties sharpening on the sharpmaker and "we" got a problem.

J

 

[HwangJino]

I agree with most that these knives come a bit dull. I have 4 chris reeve knives and all 4 were considered too obtuse an edge, and 2 of them have over grounded heels.
I had to reject a GORGEOUS Honduran sebenza because of it, but I still love all my CRKs, especially since they've been sharpened a little.

 

[Trident777]

Thank you for replyimg Anne! Firstly, apologies to the gentlemen and or ladies for the "rough" comments did not mean to make people upset or feel badly as I did not name names but I am not going to apologize for speaking my mind and opinion. That is why we are here. And no disrespect in a malicious way by that comment, my intention was to get your attention which we have done, mission accomplished. As far as sending it in. The reason why your customers including me do not want to send them in for sharpening on a brand new knife we just paid full retail for is I dont want to have my knife stuck in factory hell for a month just to get the edge sharp as it should be when I just bought it. Sending it in sounds easy. Sure I can send it in tomorrow. Waiting a month to 5 weeks is NOT easy nor is it cool. That is all. I figure even if you guys put a sharper edge on it you wouldnt need to worry about it being too sharp, it can never be too sharp. Your customers are not knife virgins or amateurs. But you know that already.

 

[Ian Minton]

Anne, Thanks for being such a wonderful Brand Ambassador for such a beloved product! CRK is in my opinion the gold standard!

To the couple of customers who forwarded links to this thread – thank you. Without feedback and being made aware of these kinds of conversations, we don’t know where customer dissatisfaction lies. We appreciate all the comments in the thread, both positive and negative and, believe me when I say this, we take them all to heart. If there is any inference that we take short cuts or intentionally do less than our best, please know that is completely untrue.

We have never pretended to be perfect – we make mistakes, but we do our level best not to. When a customer finds something they don’t think is correct, we have always asked that the knife be returned to us so we can make good. If a knife is not as sharp as expected, please send it back to us for evaluation. This is true for knives purchased directly from us or from one of our dealers. There is nothing we can do in a discussion that can correct the instances you folks have mentioned. We do take note however and, while the guys who diligently free-hand sharpen knives all day will not “get their asses kicked” as suggested, they have been made aware of this thread. They are concerned and anxious to do their best, and are not happy that there is a perception that they are not doing their best.

I’m not making excuses for anything we may or may not have done, but a cutting edge is a very interesting thing and perceptions of sharpness are varied. For example, we polish the cutting edge of all our knives which sometimes gives the impression that it is not quite as sharp as an edge that is unpolished. If you look at it this way, tiny burrs on the edge will initially cut more aggressively but they will break off and leave the edge rough, which will not cut as efficiently. With those burrs polished off, you can run your nail down the edge and it will not necessarily feel sharp. With a little pressure it will cut, so be cautious!

So in the end, thank you for letting us know your concerns. We have already reviewed procedures to ensure all knives leave our shop hair popping sharp, and if you are not satisfied with the way your CRK knife cuts, be sure to send it back to us.

Anne

 

[Trident777]

Heres a suggestion, Maybe CRK should make a faster resharpening production line that has a week turnaround. No spa no tuning no nothing, just sharpening. Do it on a machine with a mount or brace, do it by hand, I dont care. I would gladly pay for that service and be the first in line and pay shipping both ways. Im not trying to buy a wicked edge or Apex or whatever. I am happy with my sharpmaker to touch it up when i need to. Since I know that edge will be factory sharp I am happy with that. Just not the month turnaround. Shipping should be priority flat rate instead of $15. Give us the option. Make it affordable and reasonable. Thank you.

 

[uofaengr]

I agree with most that these knives come a bit dull. I have 4 chris reeve knives and all 4 were considered too obtuse an edge, and 2 of them have over grounded heels.
I had to reject a GORGEOUS Honduran sebenza because of it, but I still love all my CRKs, especially since they've been sharpened a little.

Why reject a gorgeous knife over something you can fix (and make better) yourself? I know you can sharpen, why I'm asking.

 

[Nrthfce]

All my knives are users. The first thing I do is sharpen them all, new or used. In the case of CRK's with convex edge, I just strop till I can shave the hair off a worms back. 2 out of my 3 CRK' s came sharp, I still stopped them to shorn scortum shaving sharp. In the case of my 25, which I thought was pretty dull as new, I was going to make it a daily carrier that I sharpen prolly twice a month so I remade it to a straight 20 degrees and couldn't be happier. Everyone that works with me asks to borrow it constantly just to be amazed at its level of sharpness and how it holds its edge. I would say it cuts 30 feet of cardboard, and 20 twines a day just by others.

On the subject of retaining value or collecting. If they are safe queens, why care how sharp they are? Just strop for 5 min and a any new edge will be sharp enough to impress.

 

[HwangJino]

Why reject a gorgeous knife over something you can fix (and make better) yourself? I know you can sharpen, why I'm asking.

It was really overground, i didn't want to take too much metal from the hollow ground. Plus that was when I was purchasing my 21st CRK. IMO, a knife with a $400-500 price tag shouldn't even have an overground heel.
But I do regret it, since I can't find any Honduras anymore.

 

[uofaengr]

It was really overground, i didn't want to take too much metal from the hollow ground. Plus that was when I was purchasing my 21st CRK. IMO, a knife with a $400-500 price tag shouldn't even have an overground heel.
But I do regret it, since I can't find any Honduras anymore.

Ok I see. My friend has a Honduran and it might be the most beautiful knife I've ever seen in person.

 

[dkblade]

Mine came mostly hair shaving sharp, though about half as sharp as my Ontario Rat 1 came which was frighteningly sharp. CRK doesn't make them razor sharp for some reason...beyond that they're great!

 

[tuica]

Just received my first Large 21, birthday last spring, and seems as sharp as I would want it to be...;-)

 

[Snecx]

Just wanted to chime in. Just a month ago I bought a Sebenza 21 (birth date May 2015) and it came dull, can't shave and can't slice printer paper. It came at an obtuse angle 25 degrees per side. Maybe the guy doing the sharpening wasn't paying attention. Hope this feedback helps CRK improve on future knives.

Not complaining though, since I put my own edges on all my knives.

 

[zl1]

I would say as far as edges I've seen on CRKs I've had, 4/6 had decent edges.